Wireless Broadband in Bland County, VA

BLAND COUNTY OFFERS CITIZENS FREE WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS:

Bland County is hot.

That's hot as in "hot spot." Bland is the first locality in southwest Virginia--and one of only three in the state--to offer wireless Internet access free to its citizens. The other two are the city of Fairfax and parts of Arlington County.

County Administrator Jonathan D. Sweet said installation of the broadband service is scheduled for completion Monday, and downtown Bland will go live on Thursday.

"This offering will be a valuable tool to increase traffic to the downtown area and ideally to our local businesses," David Dillow, chairman of the county's economic development authority, said in a news release.

In addition, he said, the free service should appeal to Appalachian Trail hikers, travelers passing through on Interstate 77 and professionals visiting the county on business.
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The cost of the initial phase was under $6,000, according to Chris Sutphin, the county's information technology professional. The external equipment being installed for the system will be rugged, weatherized modules, or antenna routers, on the county's communication tower in the center of town.
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The Board of Supervisors plans a second phase extending the service over much of the county, Sutphin said in a telephone interview Friday. He said the county already has had inquiries from a number of people who live outside of town.

Sweet said the free broadband will complement investments being made throughout the county, including a 22-acre commerce park, water and sewer infrastructure extensions and tourism developments.